ABSTRACT
Fibrinolytic enzymes are significant to cleave cross-linked fibrin in thrombus, a major causative agent in cardiovascular diseases. Although fibrinolytic enzymes are widely distributed in nature, their clinical applications have been hampered by high production costs, low enzyme stability, and therapeutic side effects. Compared to animals and plants, microorganisms are considered attractive cell factories to produce fibrinolytic enzymes, due to their high growth rate and low threshold for the fermentation processes and genetic manipulations. This chapter provides a comprehensive understanding of genetic engineering, optimization of fermentation parameters, and downstream process (e.g. separation and purification) to produce industrial fibrinolytic enzymes in microorganisms.
